giovedì 29 novembre 2012

Nancy Ajram is a Lebanese artist born in May 16, 1983 in Achrafieh, Lebanon.

She is one of the biggest music icons in the Arab world. She has released eight studio albums to date and numerous other chart-topping singles such as “Yay Seher Oyounoh”, “Ya Tabtab”, “Mogabah”, “Ehsas Jdeed”, “El Donia Helwa”, “Mashy Haddy”, and “Fi Hagat”. Nancy first appeared on stage in 1995 at the age of twelve. She took part in a Lebanese competition TV show, “Noujoum Al Moustakbal”, (“Stars of the Future”), starring new solo musical talent. Nancy won the gold medal in the Tarab category after singing a song by Oum Kalthoum.

Her first singles were entitled “Hobbak Allam Albi El Gheere” by Abdo Mounzer, and “Oulha Kelma Ala Shani”. In 1998 , at the age of 15, she released her first album, “Mehtagalak” (“I Need You”). It was followed by “Sheel Oyoonak Anni” (“Stop Staring”) in 2000. Nancy studied music with renowned Lebanese musicians and despite being less than 18 years old at the time, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member.

Considered by many as an Arabic music icon of the decade, Nancy Ajram was also the first and only female spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East and Arab world. In early 2003, Nancy reached instant fame with the success of the lead single “Akhasmak Ah” and the release of her third studio album, “Ya Salam” (“Oh Wow”) which was a best-seller, the music video of “Akhasmak Ah”, the next music videos, “Ya Salam” and “Yay Seher Oyounoh” they were introduced her as better vocal skills, talent and style to the public.

Her carrier take off occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her smash-hit “Akhasmak Ah” and 3rd studio album, “Ya Salam”. In 2004, she released her second international best-seller “Ah W Noss”, which spawned several smash-hits, “Ah W Noss”, “Lawn Ouyounak”, and “Inta Eih” at which point Nancy had established her pop icon status in the Middle East. The tremendous success that “Ah w Noss” achieved, stabilized Nancy’s position as an A-List star in the Arab music industry.

Nancy then filmed “Lawn Ouyounak” (Color of Your Eyes), which portrayed Nancy as a bride in a traditional Lebanese wedding. Her fifth album, “Ya Tabtab” was released on February 15, 2006. “Ya Tabtab” was considered Nancy’s best album to date, with six music videos released, eight radio hits, and five songs used for commercials. The title song’s video was Nancy’s last video directed by Nadine Labaki. Nancy then released the video of her Coca-Cola hit “Mogabah” (Admirer), as well as a video and commercial for her newly signed Damas Jewelry contract advertising their “Farfasha” collection. The song used was Ana Yalli which was promoted before the album’s release.

Nancy then cooperated for the first time with prominent Lebanese Director Said el Marouk, filming “Ehsas Jdeed” (A New Feeling) which is widely considered to be the most successful song of the album. The video, which was a salute from Said to his deaf and mute parents, depicted the story of a rich woman who falls in love with a deaf and mute man. Later in 2007, Nancy released all together the video of “Elly Kan” (All That Was) for Damas’s second campaign, her Coca-Cola Side of Life commercial featuring a new single “El Donia Helwa” (Life is Beautiful), and a video and album directed towards children, titled “Shakhbat Shakhabit” (Scribbled Scribbles).

“El Donia Helwa”, Nancy’s 7th commercial, is considered one of her most successful commercials representing her style and Coca-Cola’s with colors, happiness, and music, and it led her to release a live album featuring the single. Nancy’s sixth album was fully dedicated to children with a variety of entertaining and educative songs aimed to teach children good values and morals. 2008 was a crucial year for Nancy, as far as her album “Betfakkar Fi Eih” spawned seven singles. The same year Nancy won her first World Music Award as Best-selling Middle Eastern Artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date, about a month after her marriage! Nancy was also listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arabs, and she has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times.

Nancy was described on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the most influential personalities of the Middle East. She was named as “the Britney Spears of the Middle East”. Nancy is the first and only Middle-Eastern artist ever mentioned on the show. In February and March 2008, Nancy released three Coca-Cola commercials that featured a brand new hit from her long awaited album. The songs, “Meen Gheiry Ana”,”Noss El Kawn” (Who Else?) “Yay Seher Oyounoh” and “Ana Yalli Bahebak” were made by the successful trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, and Tarek Madkour).The single was an instant success and served as a highly successful promotion 5 months before the release of the album.

The video was released on May 25, 2008, the day the Lebanese president General Michel Suleiman was elected. It was the first video for Nancy that had an entirely graphical world that implied the suffering of children worldwide and the need to bring them out a more colorful and happier world. Then Nancy released her seventh studio album after several delays on July 30, 2008, which has been highly expected by fans for almost three years.This comeback album held lots of surprises for her fans with a huge change in her musical inspirations and style that presented her matured vocal skills like never before.

In September 2008, Nancy married Dr. Fadi El Hachem in Cyprus after a three-year relationship; the wedding ceremony, in Lebanon, was attended by close friends and family. Nancy’s 7th album, “Betfakkar Fi Eih?!”, is considered to be one of her most successful albums so far as it won her first World Music Award in her career. The album included her first “Tarab” song called “Bteegy Sertak” since 1998’s Mihtagalak album, and in general had a wide mix of several different styles ranging from dance, beat, pop, to drama, romance, Tarab and oldies. The video of “Meen Dah Elly Nseik” peaked at #1 for seven consecutive weeks on Melody Hits.

The same musical trio who created “Ehsas Jdeed” collaborated again on one of the instant radio-hits of the album, “Lamset Eid” (Touch of a Hand), which was filmed with Leila Kenaan with a high budget, and the song and music video peaked at the charts for months. With this album Nancy signed a celebrity endorsement deal with Sony Ericsson, as a special w595 phone was released holding Nancy’s signature, and “Wana Bein Eideik” was chosen as the commercial song. In 2009, Nancy became a mother. Nancy continued her work during pregnancy, during which she filmed “Meen Dah Elly Nseik”, “Lamset Eid” and her first Sony Ericsson commercial.

She also participated in several concerts, such as Layali Febrayer. She gave birth to her first child in May 2009, a daughter she named Mila, short for Milagrosa (means “miraculous” in Spanish). Mila is also a traditional, Levantine name popular in rural Lebanon and meaning a “blooming tree”. However, Nancy revealed that the name was Fadi’s choice inspired by the Ukraine-born US actress, Milla Jovovich. Nancy released a song for her daughter, “Ya Rab Tekbar Mila” (I Pray that Mila Grows Up) on the same day.

In a survey done by Rotana Magazine, Nancy was voted as the “Most Beautiful Mom” of the year 2009. Nancy chose not to reveal photos of her daughter Mila until they both appeared on the cover of “Prestige” magazine in an exclusive photoshoot. Mila later appeared in the set of Nancy’s music video “Ya Kethar”. In October 2010, a month after the release of her seventh studio album, Nancy announced that she was four months pregnant with her second child, another girl! During that period she had filmed “Sheikh El Shabab” and “Ya Kethar” consecutively to be released during her pregnancy period.

Nancy Ajram revealed on Mother's day special on MTV that she decided to name her daughter Ella. She was born in April 2010. Nancy’s Online audience is also wide. Her official Facebook page is the most subscribed Arabic artist page on the social-networking site and the first to reach 3 million subscribers. Her music video for “Fi Hagat” was an Internet phenomenon and remains the most viewed Arabic music video on Youtube with over 26.3 million views to date. In 2012, Nancy joined social networking website Twitter, and received ten thousand followers in two days. In September of the same year, she released her latest album entitled “Ya Banat”.

mercoledì 28 novembre 2012

Amal al-Atrash ( آمال الأطرش‎ Āmāl al-Aṭrash; 25 November 1917 – 14 July 1944), better known by her stage name Asmahan (أسمهانAsmahān), was a Syrian Druze singer and actress.Asmahan was born to Fahd al-Atrash, a Syrian Druze from Suwayda, and 'Alia al-Mundhir, a Lebanese Druze from Hasbaya. Her father came from the Druze al-Atrash clan, well known in Syria for its role in fighting against the French occupation. Asmahan's father is supposed to have served as governor of the district of Demirci in Turkey, during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Asmahan's father, fled the country with his children and pregnant wife. On November 25, 1917, they embarked on a ship from İzmir to Beirut, and Asmahan was born on board. She was named "Amal", meaning "hopes". She was also called "Emily", but always preferred the name "Amal". After the French came into power, the family went back to Jabal al-druze. Following the Adham Khanjar incident in 1923, the al-Atrash home in al-Qrayya (a town in Jabal al-Druze) was bombed by French forces. 'Alia fled with her children to Damascus. Despite orders from Fahd, 'Alia refused to return. Asmahan later recalled her childhood years in Jabal al-Druze as "untouched by anything truly bad".'Alia and the three children travelled to Beirut, but, after discovering that the French were searching for them there, they stopped in Haifa in Palestine, and traveled from there to Egypt'Alia chose to immigrate to Cairo, because 'Alia knew that Egypt's then nationalist prime minister Saad Zaghloul and her husband's relative, Sultan al-Atrash were on corresponding terms. According to family accounts, 'Alia was permitted to enter Egypt under the sponsorship of Saad Zaghloul. Many other Syrians and Lebanese were present in Egypt in this period.Asmahan and her family first lived in an apartment in a humble section of Cairo. Her mother did laundry and sewing to support the family.She had an excellent voice, could play the `ud, sang at parties and made some recordings. Asmahan and her brothers attended a French Catholic school. In order to receive waivers for the high cost of tuition, 'Alia registered them under the alias Kusah (meaning "zucchini") rather than trying to convince school officials that members of the wealthy al-Atrash family were destitute. 'Alia received a monthly stipend from a secret benefactor rumored to be "Baron" Crane (of the Crane commission) according to one Egyptian journalist. This allowed her to cover the costs of her children's school's tuition, and a nicer apartment on Habib Shalabi Street.Amal's vocal talent was discovered at an early age. Once, when her brother Farid received one of Egypt's most famous composers, Dawood Hosni, in their home, the latter overheard her singing in her room, and insisted on seeing her immediately. He then asked her to sing again. He was much impressed by the performance, and suggested the stage name of Asmahan to her. Amal began using that name.

Asmahan rose to fame quickly: she was not even fourteen (or seventeen, since her birthdate is disputed) years old when she was introduced to the public at a concert at the prestigious Cairo Opera House. She sang and recorded songs composed by Farid Ghosn, Dawood Hosni, Mohamed El Qasabgi, and Zakariyya Ahmad. At sixteen, Asmahan was asked by an Egyptian recording company to register her first album, featuring her first song "Ya Nar Fouadi" by Farid Ghosn.

A variety of teachers advanced her vocal and musical studies. Hosni volunteered to instruct Asmahan on how to play the oud; Qasabgi comments however on the mature level of her sight reading and musicality by the time she performed his work, some years later. However, her brothers wanted her to marry and return to Syria. Her cousin, Hassan al-Atrash traveled to Egypt, intending to propose to a different relative, however, once he saw Asmahan, he pursued her and she returned for at least five and half years to Syria. So her musical career was interrupted.Since Asmahan sang in Egypt, the lyrics of her songs were written in classical Arabic and in a more colloquial Arabic, but she also sang in the Eastern dialect of Arabic. Asmahan was particularly fond of performing songs by Umm Kulthoum and Mohamed Abdel Wahab. When asked to sing about cultural patriotism and love, she sang of Egypt." Since singers and studios depended on the elites, Asmahan had to sing songs on uplifting nationalist themes or in praise of the Egyptian royal family. At the beginning of her career she sang in the nightclub owned by Mary Mansour.Asmahan's older brother, Fuad, and other Druze relatives considered a career in entertainment for a girl to be disgraceful. For them, culturally, "Egypt was a planetary distance from the small villages of the Druze." and it was difficult for her relatives to accept Asmahan's integration into the heterogeneous Egyptian social scene. The clearly defined divisions, along religious lines, of the Syrian countryside did not operate in Egypt. During the period when she was married to her cousin, Hassan, and then later in 1941, when she remarried him and returned to Egypt her musical career came to a standstill. When the marriage first broke up, she left for Egypt immediately, even before she had obtained the bill of divorce. With her return to Egypt and a singing career, she finally repudiated "respectability", leaving both her relatives and Syrian Druze society furious. When her first film, Intisar al-Shabab, was released in Syria, one young Druze shot at the screen when the character played by Asmahan appeared. Asmahan, bi-national or, in contemporary parlance, trans-national by then, had become "a sophisticated foreigner to the young men in the Jabal Druze."In 1933 Asmahan's cousin, Hassan al-Atrash, came to Cairo and proposed marriage, requesting that Asmahan abandon her musical career. She agreed on three conditions: that they live in Damascus rather than Jabal al-Druze, winter in Cairo, and that she would never be required to wear the traditional hijab.They married and moved first to al-Era, where the al-Atrash retain a large home, and then built their own home in Suwayda. Asmahan gave birth to her daughter, Kamellia. Eventually, Asmahan missed her career and her life in Cairo; and in 1939, she and Hassan were divorced. In her final confrontation with her cousin at Mena House Hotel in Giza, she told him, "I stood with you for independence and liberation, I did. But, I was created for another purpose. I prefer the work of Farid, and the work of Umm Kulthum, and of art." Thus she returned to Cairo and resumed her singing career, marrying the Egyptian director Ahmed Badrkhan, though they were to divorce soon after.In 1941 she returned to Syria in a dramatic and secret journey under the auspices of the British. Hassan agreed to meet with her, and used the occasion to entreat her to remarry him. She twice attempted suicide in the period following when they were still married. According to the gossip-mongering journalists this was so that she could obtain a second divorce from Hassan; however it seemed he actually agreed due to her visits to Jerusalem where wild rumors attached to her behavior and overspending. Her third and final marriage was to the Egyptian director Ahmed Salem. The purpose of that marriage was so that she could return to Egypt without difficulties which were said to have been raised by governmental authorities. It is not clear how that would occur, however, and she had an ongoing studio contract in Egypt.

Also in 1941, Asmahan met Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egypt's most distinguished singer and composer, and she starred with him in his operettaMagnun Layla ("Besotted with Layla"). It was Abdel Wahab who introduced her then to the journalist, Mohamed al-Taba'i. Al-Taba'i suggests that she was in love with him, but the tone of his writing indicates that he was in love with her, but did not respect her. He suggests she had affairs or at least an ongoing relationship with the royal chamberlain Ahmed Pasha Hassanein but this might be exaggerated. Her brothers, Fuad and Farid, were no longer able to monitor her movements.Her brother was a noted gambler; she and her friends also partied, smoked, drank and gambled. She became very ill for a period, but recordings show that her voice did not suffer.

Asmahan was proud of her family background, and always mentioned her father and his cousin, Sultan al-Atrash, to clarify her ancestry — once saying to al-Taba'i, after he had just insulted her, "Don't you know who I am? Why I am the daughter of Fahd al-Atrash and cousin to the Amir al-Atrash and the Druze revolutionary hero Sultan al-Atrash, and then you, who amount to no one, come here and insult me?" Al-Taba'i laughed and replied to her that her cousin, the proclaimed Amir, amounted to no more than an alley chief" (شيخ الحارة) in Egypt.Al-Taba'i never traveled to Syria, and was unfamiliar and uninterested in the political situation in that country. Al-Taba'i argued that, because she suffered from a chronic "inferiority complex", Asmahan herself propagated these mystifications when referring to her family background.In fact, Sultan al-Atrash was a hero in Syria, and exiled for his role in the revolution and Asmahan's family were the elite Druze clan of that particular area. An al-Atrash was appointed "amir" by the French and Hassan inherited that title, but more importantly served in two governmental administrations, in one of them as Minister of Defense. Asmahan was not a first cousin of Hassan's, but referred to him as "ibn 'ammi" to the Egyptians, in fact, she was his second cousin, twice removed (by generation).Known for her wide vocal range, Asmahan's included the contralto and dramatic mezzo-soprano range (as one can hear in her rendition of "Ya Tuyur" where she reaches a high A with ease and brio). Asmahan's voice has been compared to Fairuz and Sabah. However, as she began her career more than two decades earlier, she had not in fact, adopted the Italian singing technique known as bel canto, but rather learned singing from many admirable models of her own period and in Egypt where a much more diverse group of singers performed, and at a time when Arabic singing utilized both nasal and chest resonance.Asmahan's voice was powerful, but also agile. She generally sang in her chest register but could use her head register and sing in a very controlled tone. It is not incorrect to say that she was the first or one of the first Arabic singers to use the classical western technique, also very few performers are able to alternate two different styles of interpretation and technique in one song (western and tarab).In 1941, during World War II, Asmahan returned to the French Mandate of Syria (Syria, under the rule of Vichy France at that time) at the request of the British and the Free French. She was on a secret mission to notify her people in Jabal al-Druze that the British and Free French forces would be invading Syria through their territory, and to convince them they should not fight. The British and Free French had promised the independence of Syria and Lebanon to all inhabitants on the date of the invasion. The Druze agreed, even though some groups did not receive word in time and fought the invading forces. After the Allies secured Syria during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, General Charles de Gaulle visited Syria. When the Allies failed to carry out their promise for Syrian independence, Asmahan tried to contact the Nazis in Turkey, but was stopped at the border and sent to Lebanon. It was also possible that Asmahan needed money because her husband had cut off her expenses, so she may have tried to reach the Germans simply to obtain funds.

Asmahan told Mohamed al-Taba'i that she was to receive the sum of £40,000 from the British for her services to the allies General Charles de Gaulle's representative in Cairo was General Georges Catroux. Catroux's délégué in Damascus, Colonel Collet, stated that the British gave money to Asmahan (and to other Druze men, in his presence) and sent her to the Jabal to secure the support of the Druze before the Allies' invasion. The same information is stated by Edward Spears in his memoirs.On 14 July 1944, a car carrying Asmahan and a female friend crashed and went into a canal at the side of the road, after the driver lost control near the city of Mansoura, Egypt. The car was a two-door model and the women were sitting in the backseat. They were presumed to be rendered unconscious and subsequently drowned. The driver, however, managed to escape.These circumstances gave rise to many suspicions, rumors and conspiracy theories. British intelligence, for example, after many reports circulated claiming she had been working for them, was accused of having got rid of her after she had attempted to meet with German agents. The German Gestapo was also accused of murdering her for the help she had given the British. Her husband at the time had fought violently with her, and her family's honor had been besmirched by the many rumors.

Asmahan was buried in Egypt in accordance with her wishes as, years later, were her two brothers, Fouad and Farid al-Atrash, in the Fustat plain in Cairo, which she and brother Farid, along with Egyptian crooner Abdel Halim Hafez had restored to some of its former glory.(Source : Wikipedia)

Aziz is the newest but most popular alternative artist in the Jordanian scene, with massive energy in his songs, and outstanding performance on stage.

Founder of RAZZ ( Rock Arabic +Jazz = RAZZ) in Jordan, rapidly growing artist who studied music composition in the USA and came back to Amman to rock & jazz up the town in Arabic/Jordanian dialect; Razz performed since 2006 in at least 150 events.

The artist says about himself:

" I was born in Tunisia in 1983, lived there for 10 years, then had to move with my parents to Jordan where I grew up as an average Jordanian kid from Amman.

I always had a keyboard that I played, and did a few updates on the kind of keyboard I owned. I started taking piano lessons with Travelian Sako when I was 12 years old. I have an 8th grade certificate granted from Trinity College - London in piano.

In 2001, I went to the Music Academy of Jordan for one year, then I was granted a scholarship to study in the U.S.A where I finished my Bachelor studies in Music Composition.

I must say, as an artist, I am influenced by certain events or phases that I have experienced in my life. War is certainly one of these."

martedì 27 novembre 2012

(born in Jerusalem, Palestine, 1968). Palestinian 'ud player, composer and teacher Issa Boulos comes from a family of both musical and literary traditions and began to study voice at the age of 7. At that early age, Issa showed extraordinary talent in singing Arab classical maqam repertoire. At the age of 13 he enrolled in the Institute of Fine Arts in Ramallah to study the 'ud with Abu Raw`hi 'Ibaidu. He graduated in 1985 and worked in Ramallah as an arranger and performer of both folksongs and contemporary works and a musician in the ensemble of Sariyyat Ramallah Troup for Music and Releasedal-'Ashiq in 1986; and with al-Ra`hhâla (with composer Jamil al-Sayih) he released Rasif al-Madinah in 1989. During the early 1990s, Issa pursued music composition more intensely as it offered him more flexible means of artistic expression and richer musical sonorities and textures. Essentially, he started exploring Western-music's principals of composition and orchestration and incorporated various aspects of what he learned into his own music. He managed to keep his art in line with the sensibilities of Palestinian musical taste and maintained a pivotal link with the maqam tradition. From 1991 to 1993, Issa composed over 200 instrumental and vocal pieces and one large-scale extended work entitled Kawkab Akhar. This era was the most experimental, challenging and yet prolific. He was appointed director of Birzeit University's musical group Sanabil in addition to training al-Funoun Popular Dance Troupe and Sariyyat Ramallah Troupe for Music and Dance. This era was the most experimental, challenging and yet prolific. His fascination with music towards higher levels of expression and interpretation encouraged him to examine other aspects of music-making, and simultaneously broaden his artistic perspective. To express some of these issues musically, and after over 8 years of living in both Ramallah and Chicago, in 1994, he settled in Chicago and enrolled in the music composition program at Columbia College Chicagoand studied music composition with Gustavo Leone and Athanasios Zervas and later at Roosevelt University with Robert Lombardo and Ilya Levinson. Enriched by the previous ensemble's musical experiences, in 1998, he founded the Issa Boulos Ensemble and continued to perform his original contemporary compositions that ranged at that time from maqam compositions to jazz. With this Ensemble, Issa Boulos's notoriety went well beyond Palestine and he continued his lifelong far-reaching musical journey performing his own original music. After completing his Masters in 2000, he spent one year in his hometown where he was active as a composer, educator, 'udist, and instructor of Western music theory and history, 'ud, chorus, ensemble and theory of Arab music at the National Conservatory of Music, Ramallah. Issa has given workshops and lecture-demonstrations at several American institutions and colleges including the University of Chicago, Yale, and Michigan Univesity. He is cofounder of Sama Music, leader of the al-Sharq Ensemble, the Issa Boulos Ensemble, member in Lingua Musica and Nawa Ensemble, founder of the Arab Classical Music (ACMC)Society (ACMS), and has recently been appointed director of the University of Chicago Middle East Music Ensemble. Although he has continued to write instrumental and vocal compositions, Boulos is best known for his theme works: Kawkab Akhar (1993), a large-scale instrumental work that captured his early stylistic development composed during the Palestinian Intifada, which was followed by 'Arus al-Tira (1994), composed while he was an undergraduate,Samar (1998), and his extended work al-Hallaj (2000) which is a series of composed Sufi poems penetrating the philosophy and tragic ending of Abu al-Mughith al-Husayn Ibn Mansur al-`Hallaj. His subsequent works include traditional Arab compositions and arrangements, jazz, and film and theatre scores, notably those for Lysistrata 2000, Catharsis and recently the film The New Americans. In one of his orchestral compositions, Shortly After Life, Boulos used a variety of Western classical compositional techniques; the work is a tribute to his father Ibrahim Boulos. Boulos's music still depends extensively on the melodic material of maqam; by treating this material through improvisations and using various musical techniques. His blend of tradition and innovation has forged important musical links between the Arab world and the West. Issa continues to be involved with ACMC that he established in 2003. As for his current personal projects, Issa is applying final touches on his new work Rif for kemence and percussion.It will be released later in the Spring of 2006. He is a recipient of many awards and fellowships including the 2006 Artists Fellowship Award by the Illinois Arts Council and the 2006 Palestinian Cultural Fund Award. Issa held the position of a lecturer at the University of Chicago where he directed the Middle East Music Ensemble until 2010. He is currently the Head of the Arab Music Department at the newly established Qatar Music Academy. (Source : http://www.issaboulos.com)Issa Boulos عــيــسـى بــولــص - al-Hallaj

1 - There Is Something In My Heart2 - The Eye Recognizes3 - Profound Love4 - The Entity Of My Entity5 - You\'ve Lived In My Heart6 - I Haven\'t Found Consolation7 - Love Is Still Unsafely Dispirited8 - I Am The One

lunedì 26 novembre 2012

Mustafa al-Kurd was born in 1945 within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, where he grew up at the intersection of several musical traditions: classical Arabic ‘oud, Sufi chants and rhythms, Byzantine song, European organ music, and Palestinian folklore. From these rich sources, he created a new genre in response to the occupation: the Palestinian political song, and a new style of music: contemporary Palestinian music and chansons. As a composer and songwriter, he sets to music the lyrics of renowned Palestinian poets such as Mahmud Darwish, Rashid Hussein, Taufiq Zayyad, and Fadwa Tuqan, as well as his own poems, and accompanies them on his ‘oud. When the ‘oud, the king of instruments in Arabic music, is played by Mustafa al-Kurd, it becomes an orchestra in itself.His first record was produced by Salah ed-Din Office, in cooperation with the Palestinian theatre group, al-Ballalin, where he also worked as an actor. The record was then published in France as the first record of Palestinian political songs.

After several arrests in 1976 (administrative detention), Mustafa spent the next nine years in involuntary exile. In Europe, he performed not only for Arab students and workers and solidarity groups, but also in big festivals of political music (East Berlin’s Festival of Political Songs, Vancouver’s Folk Music Festival, the Rudolstadt Folk Festival, the Modena Festival, and many more). He often performed together with other political songwriters of the time - from Greece’s Mikis Theodorakis to Chile’s Inti-Illimani, from South Africa’s Miriam Makeba to Portugal’s Jose Afonso and the United States’ Pete Seeger.

He recorded many new records and cassettes in Europe, among them ‘Without a Passport’ (the words of a poem by Rashid Hussein), which reflects the experience of exile in general and the Palestinian experience of statelessness, in particular. The song was recorded live during the Festival Contr’Eurovision in 1979 in Brussels.

Back in Palestine just in time for the beginning of the first Intifada in 1987, he wrote the songs for his first Intifada album: Children of the Intifada. It was published both as a cassette and later on as a CD, and included his famous song ‘A Stone and an Onion and a Bucket of Water’.

Jerusalem inspired him to write a new cycle of chansons dedicated to his hometown. The songs were first performed at a memorable concert in the cloisters of the Lutheran Church in the Old City during the summer of 1990, and featured a new arrangement with two ‘ouds and Arab percussion. The Jerusalem cycle was published on CD in Switzerland (‘Fawanees’) in 1993, by an ensemble of Swiss and Palestinian musicians that was led by Mustafa himself (‘oud, percussion, bassoon, and flute).

Throughout his career, Mustafa al-Kurd has composed and produced the music for many films, especially documentary films such as Mustafa Abu Ali’s Tell ez-Zaatar (1977), countless theatre-plays, including al-Hakawati’s The Thousand and One Nights of a Stone Thrower (1982), and the first Palestinian opera, Antar, also by al-Hakawati (1988).

In recent years, Mustafa’s music has become much richer, more complex and full, moving away from the earlier and rather direct political songs toward a distinctly lyrical genre where the artist and his deepest feelings dominate. At the moment, he is working on a new Jerusalem album with songs written and composed by himself, which should be out soon. The next project will be an album of songs based on the lyrics of the most famous Palestinian contemporary poets.

Since the first beginning of Hip-Hop culture spread in Palestine, Muhammad Mughrabi from Shoufat Refugee Camp in Palestine's occupied capital Jerusalem, was fond of this culture that is being terribly spreading in all over the world. He waited for years to see someone who is expressing what he is feeling about a Refugee, Here in 2002 he decided to launch his Hip-Hop band which was named G-Town (G from Ghetto). the G-Town includes also Fadi Ammous. The two Refugees together spoke out the first Hip-Hop word in Jerusalem and played its first beat. Their first album "Darrdakeh" was released in 2007 to reflect what is the feeling of being a refugee, To reflect what they feel toward themselves, their homeland "Palestine", their enemy, the world, and the Middle East. "Sharq Awsat Jadeed" or New Middle East was one of their most famous songs that was widely known all over the world. G- Town band can be taken as a great example of the success of the Hip hop culture in Palestine as its members have participated in many international festivals and tours, never to fail mentioning getting a MTV award, beside producing video shows, and taking parts in documentary films, composing music, and having the privilege of making soundtrack for an academy award (Oscar) nominated film.

“In my class there are 13 students and half of them are very religious settlers and they hate me, or you can say that they don't like me”.Imagine being a 21-year-old Palestinian refugee. Imagine taking the bus every morning to go to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank to study at an Israeli University where you are the only Arab student in the department.This is the story of a young man split between two worlds that fear and hate each other. This is Muhammad’s story.

The film is spoken in Arabic and English. The subtitles are in Italian.

domenica 25 novembre 2012

Lebanese composer, singer and musician, Charbel Rouhana is one of the few masters who shaped the Arab lute and its techniques. In 1990 he won the first prize of the Hirayama Competition in Japan for Best Composition entitled "Hymn of Peace", in the year 2000 he won the “Murex d’Or” as the Musician of the year, in 2007 he conducted and arranged the BBC3 World Music Awards winning Album of 2007 “ Al Muwashahat” and in 2011 he has been selected to participate in the Babel Med musical forum.Rouhana has composed various compositions for the famous dance group “Caracalla” and has performed with Marcel Khalife in various concerts and tours. He has also accompanied Fairuz, Magida El Roumi, Julia Boutros, Hariprasad Chaurasia in numerous performances. In 2007 he formed the Beirut Oriental Ensemble.Charbel Rouhana established a new method in playing the oud. This method was published in seven volumes and was adopted by the National Conservatory of Music in Lebanon and the Faculty of Music in the Holy Spirit University, where he has been teaching since 1986.The reputation of Charbel Rouhana and his international performances have allowed him to become an ambassador for Lebanese and Middle Eastern music: Festival Francophonies métissées (Paris, 2001), Oud Festival (Tatwan, Marocco, 2000), Festival Novart (Bordeaux, France, 2003), Concert with Satoru Shionoya Unit (Tokyo, 2004), World Expo 2010 (China), Jazz Festival (Dubaï, 2010), International Beirut Jazz Festival (Beirut, 2010). Charbel Rouhana’s style is not restricted to his oriental roots, he offers to his international audience concerts with various colors, combining creativity and erudition, rich in harmonies and open to improvisation.

sabato 24 novembre 2012

Named after a ninth century singer, musician and composer in Haroun Al-Rashid's court in Baghdad, the Ziryab Trio has continued to explore the Arabic and Turkish music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Performing on oud, violin, and percussion, the group has resurrected the compositions of such influential songwriters as Riad Al-Sunbati, Tanburi Jemil Bey, and Muhammed Al-Qasabji. The Ziryab Trio represents the joint efforts of musicians from the multi-ethnic instrumental ensemble Bustan Abraham, Taiseer Elias, Nassim Dakwar, and Zohar Fresco. One of the Middle East's leading oud players, Elias had previously formed the Orchestra of the Classical Arab World. Violinist Dakwar, who established a musical conservatory in the Arab village of Tarshiha, also serves as principal violinist for the Nazareth Orchestra of Classical Arab Music. Percussionist Fresco, the son of Turkish-Jewish parents, is a much-in-demand session player and has recorded with numerous Israeli artists including vocalist Noa.

Ziryab Trio consists of Taiseer Elias (oud), Nassim Dakwar (violin) and Zohar Fresco (percussion). "Mashreq Classics" was recorded live in the Jerusalem Theater during the Israel Festival in June, 1995. In this concert, the Ziryab Trio was accompanied by Avraham Salman (kanun) and Emmanuel Mann (bass).

martedì 13 novembre 2012

Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (Arabic: عبدالحليم علي شبانة) commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (Arabic: عبد الحليم حافظ‎) (June 21, 1929 – March 30, 1977), is among the most popular Egyptian and Arab singers and performers. In addition to singing, Halim was also an actor, conductor,business man, music teacher and movie producer. He is considered to be one of the Great Four of Arabic music (along with Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Farid Al Attrach). His name is sometimes written as 'Abd el-Halim Hafez. He is known as el-Andaleeb el-Asmar (The Great Dark-Skinned Nightingale, Arabic: العندليب الأسمر‎). He is also known as an icon in modern Arabic music. His music is still played daily throughout the Arab world. His songs influenced the 2011 Egyptian revolution.Born in El-Halawat, in Al Sharqia Governorate, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt as Abdel Halim Ali Shabana, he was the fourth child of Sheikh Ali Ismail Shabana. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohammed, and one sister, Aliah. His mother died from labour complications three days after giving birth to him - something that made people around him believe that he is a "bad luck". His father died five months later leaving him and his siblings orphaned at a young age. He lived in a poor orphanage for a period of time. Later, He was raised by his aunt and uncle in Cairo. In these years Abdel Halim was extremely poor. Abdel Halim's 'one-of-a-kind' musical abilities first became apparent while he was in primary school and his older brother Ismail Shabana was his first music teacher. At the age of 11 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo and became known for singing the songs of Mohammed Abdel Wahab. He graduated from the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player.While singing in clubs in Cairo, Abdel Halim was drafted as a last-minute substitute when the singer Karem Mahmoud was unable to sing a scheduled live radio performance in 1953. Abdel Halim's performance was heard by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, the supervisor of musical programming for Egyptian national radio. Abdel Halim took 'Hafez', Abdel Wahab's first name, as his stage-surname in recognition of his patronage. In his early career's life, Abdel Halim was rejected by people for his new style of singing. However he persisted and was able to gain accolades later on. Then, he became a favorite singer among all generations. He also became Egypt's first romantic singer. Abdel Halim's collaborated with composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab to produce many popular love songs such as Ahwak ("I adore you"), Nebtedi Minen el Hekaya ("If we were to tell the story"), and Fatet Ganbina( "She passed by us"). Hafez also worked with Egyptian poet Mohammed Hamza on songs including Zay el Hawa ("It feels like love"), Sawah ("Wanderer"), Hawel Teftekerni("Try to remember me"), Aye Damiet Hozn ("Any tear of sadness"), and Mawood ("Destined").During his career, he was very popular and always performed in sold-out arenas and stadiums. Despite his popularity, he rarely released a studio album in his life as he was purely a live singer. He also played many different instruments very well including the oboe, drums, piano, oud, clarinet and guitar. He was involved in all aspects of the creation of his songs. Halim brought many new instruments to the Arab World. He was known for his deep passion in his songs and his highly unique and rare voice.He always sang from true and honest feelings deep inside. Halim did performances in almost every country in the Arabic world and some performances outside the Arabic world including several concerts in Europe. Also, he sung uplifting patriotic songs for not just Egypt, but many other countries in the Arab World such as Lebanon, Syria, Tunisa, Morocco and much more .He used to encourage and help many young artists and actors to become successful.

In the Arabic world, Halim is known as the "King of Arabic music", "The voice of the people", "The son of the revolution", and "King of emotions and feelings". His patriotic songs were the main and most frequent songs sung by the crowds during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. One of the revolutionaries in the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 quoted "the nightingale's songs inspired us during the January 25 revolution", he added "Although, he died 35 years ago, his songs will surely continue to inspire his fellow Egyptians for many generations to come". His albums and CDs have sold more copies since his death than any other Arab artist ever. His way of singing, the popularity of his songs and his behavior made him a role model for almost every modern Arab singer. Egyptians and Arabs from all ages are fans of Halim. Halim is still remembered in the hearts of many people, even years after his death. He is widely considered among the most influential performers in the Arab World. The two composers Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Mohammed Al-Mougy both said, "Halim is the smartest person I ever knew". Mohammed Al-Mougy also added, "Halim is very original in all of his work".At the age of 11, Abdel Halim contacted schistosomiasis —a rare parasitic water-borne disease —and was extremely periodically and painfully afflicted by it for most of his career. Despite this, he remained positive and never stopped creating and performing his songs. Nevertheless, he also was always there for his country despite the illness. Abdel Halim never married, although rumors persist that he was secretly married to actress Soad Hosny for six years. This has never been proven by anyone. People who were close to both singers declined this rumor. Halim often gave money and food to charity, and to the poor directly, all through his life. Halim frequently went to orphanages and hospitals all over the Middle East to donate money, teach music, and help the people there. In 1969 Halim built a hospital in Egypt to help people. He made the poor, the rich, and presidents all alike in the Arab world. Abdel Halim established strong friendships with many contemporary presidents and kings of the Eastern world, including Gamel Abdul Nasser of Egypt, and King Hussan from Morocco. He also had very close friendships with most Egyptian poets.Abdel Halim died of liver failure on March 30, 1977 (few months before his 48th birthday) while undergoing treatment for Bilharzia in King's College Hospital, London. His death brought sadness and shock waves to the entire Arab world as a result, His funeral (in Cairo) was attended by millions of people – more than any funeral in Middle East history other than that of President Gamal Abdel Nasser.He had many more dreams and goals that he wanted to achieve and surpass and could have, but his early death stopped him. Also some people committed suicide once they heard Halim has died. It is reported that at least four women committed suicide by jumping off the balcony during his huge funeral march. He was buried in Al Rifa'i Mosque (مسجد الرفاعي) in Cairo.Abdel Halim Hafez's song Khosara (خسارة) received notice in the Western world in 1999 when producer Timbaland used elements from it for Jay-Z's recording "Big Pimpin'." Two complete bars from "Khosara" were rerecorded, not sampled, and used without permission from the song's producer and copyright holder, Magdi el-Amroussi. Jay-Z's use of an interpolation, rather than an actual sample, may allow him to avoid paying royalties for the use of the song. Over 300 of his songs were recorded and he starred in sixteen classic and successful films, including "Dalilah" (دليله), which was the Middle East's first color motion picture.Along with Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Magdi el-Amroussi, Abdel Halim was one of the main founders of the famous Egyptian recording company Soutelphan, which continues to operate to this day as a subsidiary of EMI Arabia. The company was founded in 1961. A feature film about his life, "Haleem", was released in 2006, starring Ahmad Zaki in the title role, produced by the Good News Group . In the same year a soap opera "Al-andaleeb hikayt shaab" was produced in Egypt with Shadi Shamel starring as Abdel Halim. Shamel won the lead role in a televised competition.